Bonnie Doon vs Fortitude Valley

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $705K in Bonnie Doon and $705K in Fortitude Valley.

For units, Bonnie Doon sits at a median of $765K against $705K in Fortitude Valley, which makes Fortitude Valley the more affordable unit market and Bonnie Doon the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +6.5% in Bonnie Doon and -0.9% in Fortitude Valley (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Bonnie Doon, while Fortitude Valley went backwards.

Rental vacancy is 0.7% in Fortitude Valley and 2.1% in Bonnie Doon, so landlords in Fortitude Valley face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Fortitude Valley is the bigger suburb, with a population of 9,708 against 563, roughly 17 times the size of Bonnie Doon; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: Bonnie Doon for recent price momentum, Fortitude Valley for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.